Toxic Waste Brings People Together
by BaronoftheSky
Summary: Raven ingests some toxic waste while fighting Plasmus, and of course, this makes her sick. Beast Boy finds her under the weather and lends a hand. Could this be the push needed to change their relationship? Read and find out! I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS. Reviews and constructive criticism is greatly wanted, as this is my first shot at a fanfic.


The day started off like any other. Raven was up first, basking in the early rays of the sun in the common room, meditating, her lips softly mouthing her mantra. Robin was up next, in the training room doing a light workout before breakfast. Cyborg would be up in a couple hours when his charge was complete, and Starfire was likely to be up in the next half hour or so. Beast Boy wasn't due for an appearance until around noon, unless the alarm went off, then everyone would be up in a matter of seconds.

Raven sighed, and slowly lowered herself to the floor, finishing her mediating for the morning. She walked over to the kitchen to make herself a fresh batch of her favorite tea, glancing at the clock on the oven. Blue numbers glowed that it was 7:20am, which meant she had about 10 minutes before Robin would burst in the room. And like clockwork, right at 7:30, Robin came through the doors. Raven smirked slightly to herself, then turned back the the tea bag she was stirring in her cup. Once it was done, she quietly took a seat at the table with a book, and started to read while Robin made himself some food. Just as he sat down with his plate, Starfire burst into the room smiling.

"Is it not a most glorious morning friends?" Star said cheerfully, giving Robin a quick peck on the cheek, then heading into the kitchen to fix her own food. After the whole Tokyo adventure, the two had finally become a couple, much to everyone's delight. Little more than a couple of years had gone by since then, and not too much has changed. Raven had let her hair get the slightest bit longer, though it still hung above her shoulders, and Robin, Starfire and Beast Boy gained some height. Cyborg remained the tallest, followed by Starfire, and Robin and Beast Boy were not far behind. Beast boy claimed that he and Robin were the same height, but thanks to all the hair gel Robin put in his hair, it made him seem just the slightest bit taller. Raven didn't really care, all she knew was that she was now the shortest and didn't like it one bit.

"Yeah Star, its a beautiful morning," Robin answered, jarring Raven out of her thoughts. She gave the slightest of nods, then went back to her book. After Starfire had fixed her food, some kind of Tamaranian dish no doubt, and gotten out a bottle of mustard to drink, Cyborg came clomping in.

"Mornin' ya'll!" he boomed, pulling meat out of the refrigerator to make one of his meat filled heart attack-inducing creations. Finishing her tea, Raven walked over to the sink, washed it, then put it away. She headed over and took her usual seat on the couch, her eyes never leaving the page.

By the time Beast Boy came walking in, Raven was halfway done her book and Robin and Cyborg were immersed in some racing game while Starfire cheered them both on. He had probably changed the most out of all of them. While he was still the same string bean as before, the slim muscle underneath his uniform was no joke. He may not have had the same bulk the other two boys did, though one was half robot which certainly helped, but he could easily hold his own against them. And for their part, Starfire and Raven had both filled out nicely, with more defined curves as they grew. Raven's wandering thoughts were once again scattered as the alarm sounded.

"Aww, man!" Beast Boy cried. " I didn't even get to finish my tofu eggs!"

"Man, thats not a bad thing. You need to eat some real meat!" Cyborg said, running over to check the monitor with Robin.  
"Dude! You know that would be like cannibalism for me! I can turn into all those animals you eat! Its like you're eating me!" Beast Boy protested back.

"Guys, we got Cinderblock on sector 5 and Plasmus on sector 8. Cyborg, Starfire, and I will handle Cinderblock. Beast Boy, you and Raven go take care of Plasmus. Titans Go!" After uttering his battle cry, the titans ran off to take down the villains, once again.

Touching down, Raven glanced over at Beast Boy as he shifted back from a hawk. There was Plasmus, dead ahead, guzzling down some fresh, glowing green, radio active-looking sludge.

"Let's get this over with," Raven muttered, enveloping the barrels of toxic waste in black, moving them away from him. With a guttural cry, Plasmus swung an arm towards Raven. She neatly dodged, and Beast Boy changed into a rhino and charged. The battle went on for awhile like this. Raven would use her powers to throw things at him, and Beast Boy would changed into different animals and try forcing the sleeping guy inside out. It wasn't working.

"Beast Boy!" Raven cried, "Distract him, so I can try and put the guy to sleep!"

"Gotcha! One distraction, coming up!" He yelled back, shifting into a pterodactyl. He did his best to annoy Plasmus, flying around and pecking and grabbing with his talons. Raven hovered in her lotus position, and slowly mouthed, _Azarath Metrion Zinthos. _Eyes glowing white, her soul self, in the form of a raven, left her body and entered Plasmus'. With an explosion of toxic goo, Plasmus burst open, the sleeping man inside falling to the ground, snoring softly. Raven touched down to the ground, covered in slime, and spat goop covered hair from her mouth, unknowingly swallowing some of the vile stuff.

"Come on Beast Boy, lets turn this guy in so I can shower," she said, starting to walk away. Taking the hint, he picked on the sleeping guy and they walked over to the waiting squad cars.

Once they had turned him in, Beast Boy called to check in on the other three. They were just wrapping things up as well, and would be back at the tower after grabbing some take-out pizza. After making sure that they would get some he could actually eat, he shifted into a peregrine falcon, the fastest bird alive, as he hurried to catch up to Raven, who had already taken off, anxious to clean up.

Landing lightly on the roof of the tower, Raven phased down straight into her room. She grabbed some clothes and floated quickly to the bathroom, locking the door and starting the water. Stripping her clothes off, she tossed them into the 'to be thrown out' basket. This is where clothes beyond repair or ones that got covered in goo went. Testing the water with her hand, she deemed it to be hot enough, and started the shower, stepping into the warm spray. She hummed quietly to herself, as the water took any remaining gunk off her body and her hands worked it out of her hair. Once she was done, her body sparkling clean, no remain of Plasmus on her, she stepped out and got dressed, and walked to the door. 'I think I'll just grab some tea, read a little then go to bed,' she thought, stifling a yawn.

Beast Boy had arrived at the roof just in time to see Raven disappear. Not giving it much thought, since she had been covered in slime, and would head right for the bathroom, he walked down the stairs, intent on playing some games until the rest came home with the pizza. He had just walked through the common room doors and booted up a game when the others came in, talking loudly. Beast Boy stopped what he was doing, and ran over to make sure they got some vegetarian pizza for him. Thankfully, they did, though the other half was Starfire's own little concoction, complete with mustard on top. Grimacing slightly, he grabbed a slice of his side and started chowing down.

"Where's Raven?" Robin asked. "She might want some pizza too."

"Still in the bathroom, probably," Beast Boy said, shrugging. "She got covered in Plasmus slime."

Just then, Raven quietly walked through the door and into the kitchen with hardly a sound.

"Friend Raven, do wish to partake of this pizza with us?" Starfire said, smiling sweetly.

"No thanks, just tea for me," Raven said, grabbing the kettle and setting on the stove. Once her tea was done, she quietly excused herself to her room to meditate. Using her soul-self to put Plasmus to sleep took quite a bit of energy. She thought it best to meditate a bit, then turn in a little early for the night.

That night, a rough storm blew in. The rain pounded heavily on the roof and the windows, while the thunder boomed deep and loud in the sky. Lightening gave forth snatches of light, making the many artifacts in Raven's room appear to light up, eyes glowing menacingly. She turned back and forth in a fit of sleep, her face contorted in pain. Suddenly, with a gasp she bolted upright, panting heavily. She groaned softly, holding her stomach, the cause of her pain. The thunder had woken her up from yet another nightmare, and she knew the sense of unease wouldn't go away for awhile. Standing firm that tea was the solution for everything, she slowly slid out of bed, and right to the floor. Her strength seemed to have left her, and she lay her head against her bed, trying to fight this unfamiliar, light-headed, queasy feeling that was fast growing in the pit of her stomach. Slowly, she lifted herself off the ground, using her bed for support, and pulled a cloak from the floor over her shivering body. She made her way to the door, then down the hall towards the common room and kitchen, ever so slowly. Once she made it though, she somehow found herself heading for the couch and lying down, her small trip having exhausted her. Though the thunder and lightening had quieted down some, the rain still hammered the tower, and Raven found that it just couldn't seem to lull her to sleep, even as tired as she was. Instead, focusing on the sound of the rain, she heard another noise. This one the sound of the doors to the common room softly hissing open. Her nausea spiked again, and she couldn't hold back the low moan that fell from her lips.

Beast Boy crept quietly down the halls, his goal a midnight snack. Walking through the common room doors, dressed in a pair of gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt, he was halfway to the kitchen when his ears, courtesy of his DNA that gave him heightened senses, managed to pick up a low groan. Walking towards the sound, wondering what he might find, his eyes picked up the pale, dark girl lying on the couch, curled into a loose ball, cloak covering her small frame. Kneeling beside her head, he gently shook her shoulder.

"Rae, you ok?" he asked, his soft voice full of concern.

Her eyes flickered open, and she looked at him, taking in his green skin and his jade eyes, filled with worry. She struggled to sit up, and opened her mouth to say she was fine, but quickly covered it with her hand as she felt bile creep up her throat. She stood up on shaky legs and started to head out of the room, but her legs gave way by the kitchen. Beast Boy had followed her, and when she went down on her knees, he put his arm around her waist and threw her arm over his shoulders. He was about to help her up and out of the room, when she started to cough violently. Steering her instead to the kitchen sink, they made it just in time. As soon she was over it, she started to choke, and coughed up the contents of her stomach. Beast Boy tucked her hair behind her ears, making sure it stayed out of her face. His other hand rubbed her back soft and slow, letting her know he was here for her. As she quieted down, he helped her sit on the floor against the sink.

"So, you clearly are not fine. That much we can see. Do you want anything?" he asked, his hand on her shoulder. She pointed a shaky finger at the kettle sitting on the stove. "Tea? Coming right up!" he smiled, getting up. He put some water in the kettle, and set it on the burner, turning the dial. Then he moved over to the cabinet where Raven stored her herbal tea, and grabbed a bag. While the water was boiling, he went back over to the sink and dampened a paper towel. Then Beast Boy knelt down beside her again, and gently wiped her mouth, folding it in half, and wiped the beads of sweat that he could now clearly see off her face. When that was done, he felt her forehead. Heat radiated off her in small waves. He took the time to really get a good look at her. She seemed paler than usual, if that was possible, given her normally grey tinted skin. But there was also just the slightest flush to her cheeks, and her bright amethyst eyes looked dull. All in all, if one paid little attention, they would miss the tell tale signs that Raven was indeed sick. Just then, the kettle whistled, and Beast Boy's hand fell away as he got up to fix her tea. He poured the hot water into a cup, dumped the tea bag in, grabbed a spoon, and started stirring. Once again kneeling down beside her, he gently blew on the tea, trying to cool it down so Raven could drink it. Satisfied that it wasn't too hot, he handed her the drink. She wrapped her shaky hands around the cup, breathing in the warmth as she lifted it to her lips. She only manage to drink about half of it though, before she started coughing again and Beast Boy took the cup away, helping her stand over the sink again. This time though, her vomit had taken on a odd toxic looking purple and green color, that looked suspiciously like color of Plasmus, whom they had just put back in jail that afternoon. This notion did not escape either of their eyes, though Raven wasn't really in the state of mind to be paying attention to such things. Instead, Beast Boy was the one to speak up.

"Hey Rae, I don't know if you're seeing this, but I think you must have gotten some Plasmus slime in you...and you know how much toxic waste he drinks. No wonder you're so sick."

Normally this is where she would roll her eyes, telling him something along the lines of how obvious that was. But this wasn't a normal situation, and all she could do was cough up more. When her stomach was completely empty, and the odd colored vomit had been rinsed down the sink, her body gave in, and she leaned against him, spent. He dampened another paper towel, and wiped her mouth and face again, then tossed it in the trash.

"Put your arms around my neck," he whispered, his mouth near her ear. She suppressed a shiver, and obliged, he slid one arm around her back, the other under her knees. He picked her up, and started out of the kitchen, a now cold cup of tea forgotten on the counter.

He walked out of the room with her cradled in his arms, down the hallway to her room. Somewhere along the way, she had given in to her exhaustion, and rested her head against his chest, her eyes closed. Raven's door opened with a soft hiss, and Beast Boy stepped inside warily. Last time he had really been inside, he had come across her mirror. And while he had been glad to have gotten closer to her through his and Cyborg's little adventure in her mind, he knew how upset and angry she would be if he ever did that again just for fun. So needless to say, he made sure to walk very carefully over to her bed, where he gently laid her down. He took off her cloak, getting a good look at her pajamas. She wore black satin shorts, with a dark blue tank top that had a raven, wings stretched out in flight, stitched on in black. The bottom of both was outlined in a light purple lace. He couldn't help but blush at the sight. He had always found her to be really pretty in her own way and he had had a crush on her for quite some time. In fact, he still liked her. Shaking these thoughts from his head, he slowly lifted the sleeping girl away from her cloak, and laid her on the center of her round bed, pulling the covers over her small body. He put her cloak on the floor, and moved to brush some stray hairs off her face. Praying that she was indeed asleep, he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, and headed for the door.

She felt the faint press of his lips against her skin, and slowly opened her eyes to see him opening the door. Unexplainable panic seized her chest, and before she could even comprehend it, she called out to him.

"Don't go.." she heard herself whimper. Even Raven herself was shocked at this, she had never let herself appear as weak to anyone before. A crack of lightening, echoed by a clap of thunder lit up the room. She winced, trying to hold in her fear. Beast Boy carefully made his way back over to her bed, and sat down by her. She could feel his eyes searching hers, trying to understand what had her so scared.

"Nightmares," she breathed, turning her head the other way. He grabbed her hand, and his thumb made soft slow circles on the palm of her hand, his brows furrowed in thought.

"How about this?" he asked suddenly, then shifted into an adult tabby cat. He meowed quietly at her, forcing her to look into his deep green eyes. She gave him a small smile, and nodded slightly. He walked over to her, and rubbed his head against her cheek, then curled up by her chest, leaning on her. She turned over a bit so that her arm was draped over him, and sighed, closing her eyes.

Raven was awoken to something...rough against her face. Opening her eyes, she sat up against her headboard, and saw a green feline face licking her, purring loudly.

"Beast...Boy?" she asked, her voice a little raspy from last night. "Wha?" He turned away and walked towards the end of the bed, then shifted back.

"Morning Rae," he said quietly. "Feeling better?" She thought about just telling him yes, and that way he might just leave, but there was just something in his eyes...and she found herself telling the truth.  
"I feel...not so good.." she finally admitted, averting her gaze. She looked up again as she felt something cool press against her forehead. His hand...Beast Boy's glove-less hand was touching her! Her eyes widened, but he didn't notice. And Raven couldn't help but think how _nice_ it felt, his bare skin touching hers. She dropped her eyes again, as she felt a blush crawl up her face. He took his hand away, frowning a little.

"Well, you've still got a fever, but it's a lot better than last night." he said. "So, um..do you want anything? Some tea maybe?" She nodded, a little surprised at his offer. He started for the door, but stopped at the sound of her voice.

"Wait," she called, "Please don't tell anyone that I'm...you know..not feeling well,"

"Fine," he sighed. Then a grin split his face. "But, you have to promise me a few things first Rae."

"What do you want?" she groaned, laying back down, closing her eyes. "And its Raven." She was just so tired...

"First, since I know I can't get you to avoid a fight, if we get into one, you gotta hang back as much as you can get away with."

"Ok."

"Second, you gotta rest. I'll make up something about how you need to meditate or you're reading or whatever."

"Mmm."

"And lastly, promise me that...you'll come to me first if anything like this happens again, ok?" He said this last part quietly. Her eyes slowly opened for a second, taking in his serious expression.

"Alright. I promise," she whispered, falling back asleep. The last thing she heard was Beast Boy wishing her good night.

Beast Boy walked down the hallway, lost in his thoughts. When he walked into the kitchen, he stole a look at the clock, almost doing a double take when he saw what time it was.

"Dude, its only 6:04? I thought it was way later! I'm never up this early!" he whispered. Shaking his head, he stuck the kettle on the stove, and went over to the sink to rise her mug out. While he waited for the kettle to whistle, he glanced out the window. It was a dreary morning, the rain fell softly and steadily outside, giving the outside world a gray color. The sky was overcast, but he could see clear skies far off in the distance. He was brought back from his thoughts when the kettle sounded. Turning back from the window, he set about making Raven's tea again. He figured she wouldn't eat anything, though she really should, so he decided he'd just make her eat after she slept some more. As for himself, he'd eat with the others later. He had promised Raven he wouldn't tell them she was sick, so he thought it best for himself to appear like everything was normal. Finishing her tea, he hurried out of the room, grateful for having not run into anyone. He quietly walked in her room, trying not to wake her. He sat her tea on the table by her bed, and a bottle of Advil he had grabbed, just in case. He couldn't help watching her sleeping face for a bit. She was just so...pretty. She stirred in her sleep.

"Mmm...Beast Boy?" she yawned, blinking her sleep blurred eyes.

"Sorry Rae!" he said quickly. "I didn't mean to wake you!"

"You're fine...for once," she smirked. "I could smell the tea."

"Ah, well..there you are! I'm going to go off to my room now," he said.

"Ok. And Beast Boy?"

"Yeah?"

"Um...thanks..for last night and um...just everything." she said quietly, looking away, trying to hide her blush. He grinned.

"Anytime! You know I'll always be there for you," he said sincerely.

She nodded. "I know." She gave him a small smile, causing him to grin even wider, and Raven to blush harder. Then he shifted into a fly, and crawled under the door, flying all the way to his room.

She reached over for her tea, and took a sip, noticing the pills. She gratefully took a few, her stomach felt uneasy and her head was starting to throb. When her tea was finished, she sighed softly, lying back down. She felt her eyes grow heavy with sleep, and gave in. She was asleep within seconds.

Beast Boy had made it to his room without running into anyone. Yawning, he decided he might as well take a nap. He'd been up most the night helping Raven, and now his mind was begging for sleep. If they were to get in a fight, he'd have to make sure he could cover her as much as possible. She didn't do sick, and he knew how much she usually tolerated him. That fact that she was showing him her weakness, and even letting him _help_ her, surprised him, and told him how serious this was. His line of thinking was interrupted as he yawned again. Stretching, he went and laid on his bed, pushing his thoughts to the back of his mind to go over later. He was out before his head hit the pillow.

When Beast Boy woke up again, it was 11:48. He groggily stumbled out of bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. It took his mind a moment to catch up, but slowly the event of last night and that morning came back to him. His eyes widening, he quickly slipped out of his room, and flew down the hallway in the guise of a fly. He crawled under her door, staying a fly so as not to wake her, and watched her for a moment. Her cheeks were still dusted a light pink, but she was considerably less pale than last night. Satisfied that she was sleeping peacefully, he flew back to his room unnoticed and slipped inside. Getting dressed, he hurried out to the common room, working out an excuse for Raven. He walked through the doors, taking in what was going on. Robin and Cyborg were playing a racing game, and Starfire was on the couch cheering them both on. He spared a glance out the window and noted that the rain had stopped. When Starfire saw that he came in, she flew over to him.

"Friend Beast Boy, did you happen to see Raven on your way in? I was hoping to see if she would journey to the mall of shopping with me."

"Uhh...sorta. I mean, I ran into her coming down from the roof. She said she wanted to be left alone to read or mediate or something."

"Oh..." Starfire said, looking a little down cast.

"Why don't you just ask Robin? Get him to take you out on a date?" he suggested, trying to cheer her up, and get her off Raven's trail.

"What a wondrous idea! I shall ask! Thank you friend Beast Boy!"

"No problem Star," he said, watching her fly back over to the couch, waiting impatiently for Robin to finish his game. But she never got the chance to ask, as the alarm choose that moment to go off. Robin ran over the computer, the others not far behind. Beast Boy snuck out of the room, and ran down to find Raven. Halfway to her room, he ran into her. Quickly standing back up, he offered her his hand and pulled her up.  
"Sorry!"

"Its..fine." she said, bitting her lip. "Um...Beast Boy?"

"Yeah?"

"I just..um..threw my cloak on, I'm still wearing..this," she said, moving her cloak enough that he could see her pajamas underneath. "Please, don't let them see..." She was blushing now, her eyes on the floor.

"Oh, uh, sure! Of course!" Still holding her hand, he dragged her into the common room, letting go it before anyone could see.

"Great, you're all here. Adonis is attacking downtown. Titans Go!"

Raven lifted her hood over her face, and followed the rest out. They arrived to see Adonis flexing his muscles and throw around weights out of a gym. They started up their usual attack, but it seemed Adonis managed to upgrade his suit, because their attacks weren't doing much. Beast Boy could see that she was struggling to keep appearances, throwing what objects she could handle at him. Unfortunately, Adonis had the upper hand, and sent the other three titans outta the ballpark. He knew it would take awhile for them to make their way back, so he shifted into a rhino and charged. Adonis merely laughed, grabbed his horn, and threw him. Then he grabbed Raven and ran off. He crawled out from the rubble of what used to be a wall, shaking himself off. Once he saw Adonis turning around a corner with Raven over his shoulders, his eyes narrowed in anger. He could feel the rage in him, threatening to bubble over, The Beast trying to come out. Suppressing it best he could, he shifted into a hawk and flew after them.

He had his hand around her throat, and he slammed her against a wall. It took all her concentration not to cry out and keep her cloak closed, afraid of drawing more attention to her body.

"You know, after that whole chemical beast transformation thing, I've been seeing you in a whole new light cutie. You should be Adonis' girl," he sneered at her.

"No...way..." she said, gritting her teeth. Everything was spinning, and it was starting to make her nauseous...she just wanted to get off this ride. Then something green and furry smacked into Adonis and she dropped to the ground. Trying the catch her breath, she focused her eyes. It was The Beast. She watched him attack Adonis mercilessly. She slowly stood on shaking legs, leaning heavily against the wall she was pinned against moments ago.

"Beast Boy..." she called, as loud as she could. She saw the others approach him slowly.

"Now Beast Boy, I know you're in there somewhere. Why don't you just back away quietly...go and see if Raven's alright?" Cyborg asked carefully. The Beast growled, then slowly moved back and ran over to her. Whimpering, he licked her face. She gave him the best glare she could manage, then spoke up.

"Please," She took a shuddering breath. "Take me back to the tower," she whispered, grabbing a fistful of his fur to steady herself. He scooped her up with one arm, and ran off, not even glancing back at the others. She did her best to push back the nausea that ate at her stomach. But when they made it to the tower, she knew she couldn't hold it back much longer.  
"Beast Boy...please, bring Beast Boy back," she muttered. The Beast whined, looking at her, and she looked back, deep into his eyes. Slowly, The Beast titled his head, and setting her feet on the ground, he shifted back. When Beast Boy opened his eyes again, he saw Raven leaning against him, hand over her mouth and looking paler than ever. She glanced up at him and saw his eyes widened in understanding. Picking her up, he ran as fast as he could to the bathroom. He sat her in front of the toilet, lifting the seat up, then turned around to shut and lock the door. Turning back to her, he pushed her hood off, and tucked her hair behind her ears. And while she threw up, he just kept rubbing her back, soft and slow. When she finally died down, there wasn't anything left in her to throw up anymore, he took a damp washcloth and wiped her mouth and face again. Then his communicator beeped. He quickly got up and ran outside, closing the door behind him. As she waited, she put her head down onto her arms, leaning on the toilet seat. She was just beginning to drift off when he returned, and shook her gently on the shoulder.

"Rae...Rae? Raven?"

"Mmmm," she mumbled in reply.

"Look, Robin and Star went to the mall, they'll be gone for a few hours at least, and Cyborg will probably be working on his car the rest of the day. I just told them you had a headache from Adonis," His eyes flashed angrily as he said that name. "And would be resting in your room." he finished. She gave him a small nod. "Now," he said, his voice once again by her ear, and this time she could not suppress the small shiver that ran through her body, "Arms around my neck again." She did as he asked, and buorrowed into his warmth as he picked her up. Making sure they left no trace, he carefully got her into her room without anyone seeing them. Raven was asleep before they even made it out the bathroom door. Repeating last nights procedure, he removed her cloak and shoes, tucked her in bed, placing a soft kiss to her forehead, which he noticed was a bit warmer than this morning, before turning away and heading out the door. He went straight to the kitchen, deciding that it would be best to make her eat _something_ other than just drinking her tea. Knowing that now of all times she would not appreciate one of his tofu creations, he went about making her soup from a can that, yes, had some chicken in it. While that cooked, he fixed her some more tea, and made himself a tofu sandwich. About 10 minutes later, he was walking back down to her room. Going inside, he saw that she was still fast asleep, so he set the tray on the table by her bed. After a few minutes of debate in his head of weather or not to wake her up, he decided he should, because if she wanted to get better she should really eat something. So he gently shook her awake. She softly groaned and opened her eyes.

"Rae, wake up. Come on, you gotta eat something. You want to get better, right?"

"Mmm...can't I just drink some tea?" she asked, sitting up slowly.

"Nope! No tea until you eat!"

"Beast Boy...I'm not in the mood for tofu."

"Do you really think I'd make you eat tofu when you're not feeling good?" he said, a little hurt in his voice. She looked down at her hands, and softy shook her head no. "Its just canned soup. Its even got real chicken in it. Now. Eat up!"

He handed her the tray with the soup, but took the tea away. Once she had finished most of it, he smiled, and gave her the tea back. Just as she put the cup to her lips, however, he grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"Wait!" he called. "I almost forgot. I grabbed some fever reducing medicine. It should help." He handed her the pills. She gratefully accepted, and swallowed the pills with her tea. When he was satisfied that she had eaten enough, he moved the tray aside, and slipped one of his gloves off his hand. Raven slid back down and closed her eyes as Beast Boy's hand felt her forehead. When he took his hand away, she opened her eyes and saw him frown.

"Well, its higher than I'd like it to be, but if you sleep for the rest of the day...it should be gone by tomorrow," he said. "But, if you still insist on keeping this a secret...you really should make a small appearance...I know! I think the plan is to watch a movie tonight. It's Starfire's pick this time. You can probably get away with sleeping through that."

"Alright," she sighed, "Star would likely be upset if I missed it, which would get Robin all riled up, and I want to keep this quiet." With that, she shot a small glare up at him.

"Hey, I promised I wouldn't tell, and I think I've done a great job keeping everyone off your trail."

"Yeah...I know. Thanks," she mumbled, closing her eyes again. He quietly watched as her breathing deepened, and when he was sure she was fully asleep, he couldn't resit softly kissing her head again. He knew the chance of this ever happening again once she was better was zero, so he decided to seize opportunity while it lasted. Then he snuck out of her room, and went to waste some time in front of the TV.

Beast Boy was still playing games when Robin and Starfire walked in, Star's arms loaded with bags. She gave Robin a quick peck on the cheek, then flew off to her room to put her things away. Robin walked over and plopped himself on the couch next to him.

"You up for some competition?" Robin smirked.

"Dude, you are so on!" After a couple of hours playing, Starfire had come back in and was cheering them both on, Cyborg came booming in and started making dinner. Beast Boy then jumped up, knowing if he didn't get in the kitchen soon, there wouldn't be anything for him to eat. Seeing as he was only making dinner for one, he volunteered to go and fetch Raven to eat. He walked down the hallway and instead of knocking when he reached her door, he turned into a beetle and crawled underneath. Making sure she was still asleep, he waited a few minutes, then left. Walking back into the common room, he said,

"She says she's not hungry. Got some good new book or something. And yes, this one doesn't have a talking dragon trapped inside, I asked. I did get her to join us for movie night though."

"Oh good!" Starfire cried. "It is my turn to choose and I believe I chose one Raven should also enjoy!"

"What movie is it Star?" Robin asked, as they all grabbed their food and sat down.

"Its a surprise!" she giggled. As they ate, they just chatted about their day. Of course, he didn't tell them what he _really_ did, so he lied and said he lazed around, hoping they wouldn't press further. Thankfully for him, they didn't. Once they had finished, they started to get ready for the movie. Cyborg showed Starfire how to set it up, then they joined Robin in getting snacks and drinks and making popcorn. Beast Boy went to fetch Raven. He slid under her door again, but this time walked over onto her bed.

"Rae~...Raven~" he said softly, gently shaking her shoulder. She quietly moaned and opened her eyes.

"Its not time already, is it?" she sighed, closing her eyes again and snuggling further into her blankets. He shook her again.

"Yup. Sorry." She opened her eyes again and glared.

"Fine, fine. I'm up. Hand me my cloak please," she said, sitting up, yawning. 'She looks so cute when she yawns...' he thought. Shaking his head a little, he quickly turned to hide his blush, and bent down to grab her cloak. She put it on and slowly followed him out the door, leaning against the wall. Once they made it to the doors, she threw her hood up and walked in like everything was normal. He went right over the couch, and she followed, after avoiding Starfire's bone crushing hug.

"What movie are we watching?" she asked, her voice back to its usual gravely monotone.

"You shall see!" Star giggled again, then sat next to Robin. Cyborg sat down in the middle, leaving her on the end next to Beast Boy. She took her seat next to him, and Starfire hit play. The title screen said "Bridesmaids". He watched her roll her eyes and pull her cloak tighter around her. He got up to pretend to get himself a drink, but really grabbed a water bottle and Advil. When he handed it to her, she shot him a grateful smile, and downed the pills. Everyone's attention was focused on the movie, so she settled herself on the couch and closed her eyes. By fifteen minutes into the movie, she was sound asleep, and her head fell on his shoulder. He blushed, and quickly glanced around to make sure no one saw. Luckily, no one did, and they were safe. For now. When the movie was almost over, Cyborg quietly excused himself, saying something about his batteries running low and needing to charge. Then the credits started to roll, and while Robin seemed to be busy explaining a few things to Star that she didn't fully understand, he nudged Raven awake, and pointed over at them. She seemed to take the hint, for she quietly teleported them out of the room, right outside the door to the common room. She suddenly slumped over, and he had to step back to keep them both from falling over. The medicine still seemed to be taking effect because she was out like a light. Picking her up into his arms again; he was really starting to enjoy all this touching, even given that she was out of it every time he carried her; she had one arm resting across her stomach, the other dangling innocently towards the floor. He had just laid her on the bed, and was removing her cloak, when she suddenly gave a small cry, her arms grabbing the closest thing to her, which just so happened to be Beast Boy. And while he took a moment to enjoy the feeling of her hugging him; she had not willing done so since the Malchior incident, and he really regretted pushing her back in surprise; it didn't take long before he realized he couldn't breathe. Carefully removing her iron grip, he could hear her muttering into his shoulder.

"Don't hurt them, please don't hurt them. Do what you want to me but please don't hurt them," she whimpered, over and over again, just below a whisper. Not really sure what she was going on about, he sat her in front of him. She was clearly still out of it, but she did manage to open her eyes, and ask him in a quiet voice not to leave. Then her eyes slowly closed again, and she was asleep once more. Once he finally finished tucking her in bed, he resumed his cat form and curled up between her arms, his head in the crook of her neck, drifting off to sleep himself.

As her mind slowly woke up, she pulled her arms to her chest, not noticing the warm furry creature there, and snuggled farther into her covers. But her mind insisted on consciousness, so she forced her eyes open. What greeted her was a green cat, still fast asleep in her arms. She blinked a few times, just to make sure she wasn't seeing things. She even tried pinching herself to make sure that yes, she was indeed awake. And still the green cat slumbered on in her arms. While her mind attempted to process this, the cat yawned, slowly waking up. Blinking his bright green cat eyes, he carefully turned his head towards her, regarding her warily. It took her a second, but she quickly moved her arms off him so he could move, trying hard to hide the burning blush that was now blooming on her face. He rubbed his face against her hand and purred, then walked towards the end of her bed. He hopped off, shifting back mid jump. Turning around to face her, he started nervously scratching the back of his head.

"So, uh...feeling better?"

"..yeah," she said, realizing it was true. She felt a little tired, and she definitely needed to mediate, but otherwise felt fine, like she was finally getting back to normal. "Um..so, what happened last night? I remember seeing the beginning of that movie and thats it."

"You fell asleep like, ten-fifteen minutes into the movie. Cyborg left towards the end, and while Robin was explaining some things to Starfire, I woke you up. You teleported us out of the room, then passed out again. I carried you to your room."

"Then why were you in my bed?" She was still too shocked to put any real anger in her voice.

"Well, you see...as I was putting you to bed, you grabbed onto to me and begged me not to leave you alone...so, yeah." His face was almost beet red and he looked at the ground, shuffling his feet, not daring to look her in the eye.

"Beast Boy..." she said slowly, "I'm not mad at you."

"You're not?" he asked, finally looking at her.

"No. I don't remember, but I don't believe that you would lie to me." Now it was her turn to look away. He smiled.

"Thanks Rae!" She gave a small smile back. "Um...if you don't mind, would you teleport me back to my room? I should probably change into a clean uniform.."

"What? Oh! Of course. Hang on." She slid out of bed and walked over to him. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos," she breathed. Dark energy surrounded them, and they melted into the ground. Reappearing in his room, Raven took the chance to get a good look around. It was still pretty messy, but you could see the floor now. The bed bunks were still there, but they too were clear, no doubt for the first time in years. While she was busy looking around, he had slipped his glove off and lifted his hand to her face. When she felt his skin touch hers, she whirled around to look at him, surprised.

"Just checking," he said, slowly removing his hand, sliding his glove back on. "Your fever seems to be pretty much gone. Just uh, take it easy, ok? I mean, you did have some, I guess, toxic poisoning, so...yeah."

She nodded, unsure what to say. Then she disappeared back to her own room, to change, then up to the roof to meditate. She really wanted some tea, but she could feel her emotions going crazy, so she deiced the best course of action was to go to Nevermore first, and tea later.

A couple hours later, she slowly touched down, opening her eyes. She needed some tea, and though she wasn't really looking forward to it, a talk with Starfire. She walked into the kitchen and put the kettle on. Taking a look around, she saw the boys on the couch, Cyborg and Beast Boy were playing some racing game, Robin was waiting to play the winner. Starfire was at the table, feeding Silkie. Once her tea was done, she took her steaming cup and walked over to the table. Noticing her presence, Star gave her a bright smile.

"Raven, it is glorious to see you!" she said, putting more food in a gurgling Silkie's mouth. "I have not seen much of you these past couple days."

"Yeah. Hey Starfire? Could I um..talk to to you? Alone?" she asked, glancing nervously over at the boys. Starfire gasped.

"You wish to initiate a girl talk?" she squealed. Raven quickly covered Starfire's mouth and checked to make sure the others hadn't heard.

"Shh. Yes. Let's go before anyone notices." Star nodded, her mouth still covered. They walked quickly down to Starfire's room after Star let Silkie out of his chair. Making sure the coast was clear, she started to tell her what had really been going on, how she had gotten sick because of Plasmus, and Beast Boy had been helping her. Then she admitted the big secret, and the real reason for the talk. She took a deep breath, then spoke quickly.

"I uh...I like Beast Boy. I think." She squeezed her eyes shut, then sighed. "No, I know I like him. A lot...I think I have for awhile now. It just took me awhile to realize it." she finished, cringing. Starfire squealed again, and gave her a bone-crushing hug.

"You have 'the feelings' for him?" Star asked, her eyes wide and her smile taking up her whole face. "This is wonderful news! You must go tell him immediately!" Raven's eyes snapped open, a look of horror on her face.

"You've got to be joking. There's no way I can tell him!" she hissed, quickly making sure no one had heard them.

"But, do you not wish to know if he also has 'the feelings' for you?"

"Well...I don't know...I guess."

"Then we must go and ask at once!" Starfire grabbed her hand and started dragging her over towards the door. She pulled back.

"NO!" she cried, making one of Star's pillows explode. "Everyone else is out there and I can't. I'm not ready to face him yet," she whispered. So after much debate, Star got her to promise to tell him, and she insisted on sooner rather than later, reminding her of when her fear got out of control. Raven finally relented, though she claimed that only happened because she denied it, not that she kept it to herself, and said she would only do it if no one was around. And the planning began. Cyborg was due to leave on a quick overnight trip down to Steel City, to install some upgrades to the Titan's East tower the next day. That night, Starfire would get Robin to go on a date to the movies with her, leaving Raven alone in the tower with Beast Boy. She was then to take the chance to confess her feelings to him, or she would have to go to the mall and get a makeover with Star.

Sadly, the day came and went much too quickly for her liking, though to the rest it was a rather slow day; not much crime where their assistance was needed. And during this time, she avoided him as much as she could with out being obvious. But unknown to her, he could tell that she was staying away from him. He figure'd it was just because she was embarrassed about the state she had been caught in. He was completely clueless, so he did what he could to keep himself busy. He watched too much TV and played tons of games with Cy. Finally, the day had come, and Cyborg was taking off for Steel City. They all said goodbye, and he was gone. That afternoon, Raven dragged Starfire off for another 'girl talk' and they went over the plan. After lunch, Star was to drag Robin off to the movies on a date, leaving her and Beast Boy alone in the tower, where she was to confess her feelings to him. She spent the rest of the day up on the roof meditating, trying to calm her rampaging emotions down. She was just finishing up when she caught them riding off on Robin's bike. She had to close her eyes and take deep breaths just to push her heart back down from her mouth. Then she slowly walked towards the door, and down the steps, sensing where he was. He was sitting on the couch, and she stood outside the doors, trying to summon her courage. She hadn't been able to read all day, she'd been so nervous. Steeling her resolve, she walked through the door, and threw her hood up over her face. She sat down next to him, and stared at her hands. Finally, she spoke up.

"Beast Boy," she said, trying hard to keep her voice like usual. "Can we...talk?" He paused his game and turned towards her, with what he hoped was a neutral face.

"Sure Rae. What do you want to talk about?"

"Well..um..." She cleared her throat nervously, "I...I-I think I'm in love with you." She squeezed her eyes shut and pulled her cloak tighter around her, hiding the fact that beneath the thin fabric, her body was trembling. It took his mind a few moments to process this, and when it did, a wide grin split his face and he pounced on her, wrapping his arms around her, knocking her on her back. Her hood fell back from her face, and she opened her eyes, gaping at him lying on top of her. Laughing, he sat himself back up and pulled her onto his lap, keeping his arms around her so she couldn't escape. She blushed and turned her head away from his view, but he could see that even the tips of her ears were bright red.

"God, you've really scared me these past few days. I thought you hated me or were too embarrassed about the fact that I saw you in a weakened state and this would get awkward or something," he rambled. "But this...never in a million years would I have guessed you would feel the same way... and tell me about it!" She gave him a puzzled look, so he explained. "Raven, I love you too. For quite some time now in fact." Her face heated up again, and she yanked her hood back over her head. But he would not allow this, and pulled it back down. This went on for a couple seconds, she would pull it up, and he would push it down. Finally, he grabbed her wrists, and pushed it back down again. She shot him a small glare, and this time used her powers to pull it back up, smirking. He smirked right back, and pulled it down, this time keeping a hand on her hood.

"You're cute when you blush," he teased, making her blush harder. She looked away, and when she looked back his face was inches from hers. Then his lips touched hers and her eyes fluttered closed. The kiss was warm and sweet and soft and it felt...right. As she slowly settled into the kiss with ease, his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer. She twisted around so that she could lock her arms around his neck. They didn't know how long it lasted, but neither wanted it to end, until the need for air became so desperate, they grudgingly broke away, breathing heavily. She couldn't look him in the eye, and figuring this was a lot of emotion for her to take in all at once, he shifted them so that she was now sitting next to him, his arm still around her waist. She laid her head on his shoulder, taking in his warmth as he turned his game off and started surfing channels, finally landing on some comedy show call Last Man Standing. She made it through one episode and part of the next, before she started falling asleep, still worn out from being sick. He gently pressed a kiss into her hair, and she smiled a little, until the waves of dreams pulled her under. Shortly after though, Robin and Starfire returned, much to quickly for his tastes. When he looked over the couch, he made eye contact with Star, and put a finger to his lips, then pointed down at the purple crop of hair just barely peeking above couch. Quickly taking the hint, she pushed Robin into the kitchen, stating that they should put the leftover pizza they brought home in the fridge. Turning the TV off, Beast Boy swiftly gathered Raven in his arms, and quickly but quietly carried her out of the common room and into the hallway without Robin seeing them. Starfire, however, gave him a bright knowing smile as he passed by the kitchen. He carefully carried the sleeping girl down to her room, and put her to bed in her leotard, for once she seemed not to be wearing her pajamas, and let her cloak and shoes fall discarded on the floor. With one last kiss to her forehead, he silently walked out of her room and slid her door shut. That night, they both went to sleep with very pleasant dreams.


End file.
